Antler Delta Large Suitcase Black

24 Nov 2015 by Tom Otley

Antler Delta Large Suitcase Black
UK brand Antler has a bewildering number of luggage ranges on its website. The new Delta range is less oddly-named than some of Antler’s other luggage collections. I’m sure the Cyberlite, Juno, Aire, Aeon, Liquis, Marcus, Saturn, Helix (to name just a few), all have attributes worth considering, but I’m not ready for lugging a bag called Marcus around with me, nor Jupiter, Savannah or Vienna. And as for the Puck range….
Delta, however, I can handle. The bag comes in three sizes, from a cabin bag size (H x W x D) 55 x 40 x 20 (cm) through a medium sized on to the large suitcase I tested. Confusingly, there are three alternative cabin cases- the B1, C1, and D1.
I don’t know what the difference is between them and I didn’t try them out. Thankfully there’s only one version of the large Delta, which is the one I tested.
First impressions were unexciting. It is black, has four wheels, and a good solid handle. It is a soft-shell bag. The balance between being hard (and either being prone to cracking, or being too heavy / expensive) and being soft (and getting squashed in the aircraft hold) is a difficult one, but one the Delta managed well.
I tested it on a trip to Hong Kong, and despite only being half-filled on the way out, it appeared on the carousel at Chek Lap Kok looking good as new. On the way back I filled it with more items, and it was still manoeuvrable.
It is made of the now-fashionable (at least for luggage construction) ballistic style nylon, and has an outside pocket you can stow magazines and even books in. I found when the case was only half-full, putting a pile of magazines in the outside pocket caused it to fall over, which was a pain when I had my laptop bag resting on the top. Once the Delta was full loaded (on the return journey) it did not tip over so quickly and was easy to wheel through the airport. It's at times like these that four-wheels come into their own.
The bag came with an internal detachable travel wardrobe which I didn’t understand and so removed. The internals are otherwise easy to use, including straps to hold your belongings down and an upper part of the case which has a zip mesh for keeping items separate, as well as a small zipped pocket. It seems to be waterproof from rain, since it got showered on as I was walking through Hong Kong, and survived.
The handle is reasonably sturdy, and there's a combination lock on the side of the case.
Verdict:
Not the most exciting of bags, but light weight, tough, and inexpensive for the build quality. Good value.
Fact Box: